Are You Striving for Success or Significance?
03. Oct, 2011 
20 Comments
How do you define Success?
Is it about achieving a particular status…the impressive title, the fancy car, the big house? Does it come from a having a notable degree and a big bank account?
I’d venture to say that everyone reading this knows of people who can boast those “achievements”, but are in fact living unhappy, empty lives. So despite the fact that we are enamored by the fame, fortune and power that society celebrates, I think we all know that true Success is much more than that.
So what’s missing?
A few years back I did a journaling exercise with a coach I was working with on my “Success Mindset”. I defined Success as living one’s life in excellence…as having one’s internal experience (body, mind & spirit) completely in harmony with one’s external experience.
And then just a few weeks ago I was reading an article by Darren Hardy in Success Magazine, and I really resonated with his discussion on this topic. He talked about how those people who have achieved that external, material success will inevitably feel that something is amiss if they have not also acquired the thing that matters most ~ Significance.
This is the key element to the harmony I was referring to in my definition. It is significance that allows the internal experience to be as beautiful as the external experience. Significance is about knowing that we have had a positive impact on others….that our lives and been meaningful. The conversation shifts from one of power to one of value.
“The interesting thing is you can be successful and not significant, but you cannot be significant without being successful. A successful person, by our definition, is one who has achieved five pillars of excellence: business, well-being, relationships, wealth and contribution. We call this “whole-life success,” and one who has achieved it has attained a life of significance.” ~ Darren Hardy
Whole-life Success. Yes! This is exactly why I became Holistic Health Coach and created Conscious Choices Wellness. To truly live life to the fullest, we must focus on all the pieces of the puzzle called life, because if even one is missing, our potential impact is not fully realized.
So which are you striving for, Success or Significance?
I think this is the perfect time of year to begin evaluating how you are using your unique talents and valuable time and energy to create a life of abundance on the inside, the outside and all around you. The new year is fast approaching, and it is always a time of great reflection. Begin now to think about where you might need to shift something in your life to create space for more of the balance that leads to Whole-life Success. Don’t wait until the very end of the year (or the beginning of the next!) to begin thinking about what you will be about and bring about in 2012!
Begin thinking about it now ~ what is the legacy you intend to leave?
This is important to know, because it’s your legacy that will last. So take some time to get clear on this, because when you do, you will make your choices with complete confidence knowing whether or not they serve and support your intended legacy.
Because as my favorite goals coach Gary Ryan Blair says, “We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark, signifies it!”
Yours in Whole-life Success!
Am I striving for success or significance? I have never asked myself that but coming to think of it I think I have been aiming more for success. This is a beautiful post and it made me realize that here is so much to success than just the money. Success has to be all rounded. From now on I strive to be significant.
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Twitter: mum_in_business
04. Oct, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Significance is definitely what I am looking for. Success can be short-lived whereas significance can be a legacy left behind even when I am not around.
Great post!
Nonny´s last [type] ..Weight loss
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Having the “Strive for Success” mindset will ultimately propel you to have significance. Since we have to make ourselves extraordinary in order to achieve success, I would imagine that has some sort of significance?
Nick Dodd @ Miami Condos´s last [type] ..Miami Condos Video Tour
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Hi Beth,
It is a very inspiring post. First I worked for success then I am striving for significance and your article motivate me in this prospective. Thanks for sharing.
waterpearls´s last [type] ..CrowdSPRING Coupon
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You can only find success if you are interested with what you are doing and if you are trying your best to achieve what you want. And with this, many will be inspired to do their best in coming up with their own way of succeeding.
Liane Markus´s last [type] ..Small Business Security Systems
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I agree completely with you Beth, there is much more to success than just achieving a certain status. However, I must admit I haven’t looked that deep into the internal and external experience of success until I read this post.
The five pillars of excellence that Darren talks about is so true. Whole-life success is something we should all strive for.
Thank you for sharing this inspring post, it truly gave me a new insight on what true success is.
Melony@Yeast Infection Home Remedy´s last [type] ..The Real Causes of Recurring Yeast Infections & Treatments To Stop Them
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Hi Beth! For me success means gaining the freedom to spend your time doing what is meaningful for you…Tomek
Tomek´s last [type] ..Is Glutamine Supplementation Useful?
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For me success is being able to look into the mirror and be happy about who you are.
It is also being able to look into the eyes of others and see love and respect, happiness due to something you did.
Alison
Alison´s last [type] ..Super Colon Cleanse
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Great points here.. I had always thought of significance as what I meant to the world. But this really doesn’t matter–what matters more is what I mean to ME. And that’s way more important than success! Thanks for sharing!
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I must admit I’m working on success right now. My financial situation is precarious so significance is a luxury I can’t afford right now. After I have enough income to pay my bills, then I can work on significance.
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success will give you significance, so i will go for success!
Abby´s last [type] ..Trouble Conceiving
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Hi Beth,
It is a very nice post and you have shared very catchy points here.Mostly network marketers go for success first then they realise the importance of significance.For long term success, significance is very important.
Pete Goumas´s last [type] ..WestMarine Review – Coupon
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Twitter: EBScribblings
06. Nov, 2011 at 11:04 am
Hi Beth,
You made many good points in that post I think. I know plenty of people who have all the material trappings of success but are fundamentally unhappy.
There is a certain amount of material wealth required – but after that, you should be focusing on other things rather than the acquisition of more stuff. Maslow put it a bit better than that, but I guess you know what I mean.
For me, success is the ability to spend my time as I like (mostly) and to be with people that I want to be with.
That’s not to say that I don’t want to “work”. I just don’t want to do that all the time. Some “task time” makes me appreciate my time with friends and family even more. It’s a question of balance.
Hamish @ ebook reader reviews´s last [type] ..B&N Launch New Nooks – Does This Mean War?
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Great post! Now that you mention it, I haven’t got an answer. But so far, my answer would be both.
edmond0925´s last [type] ..dog training
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I never thought of success and significance in just this way, but I think you’re right on the money. My dad was one who knew the real meaning of success. He built a profitable business, but always remembered to spend time coaching my baseball team, taking us on vacations, and offering service to our church. I take him as my model.
alanc230´s last [type] ..20% off on Jersey Pearl Jewellery at KJ Beckett
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You have made very good points Beth. We, as human beings strive for success and would take significance as a secondary. But at the end of the day, it’s the mark that we have left that matters. Our success is defined by what we have done and we will leave behind. Being able to be an inspiration to others is already success by itself.
Jarrod Frenzel@The Woodlands Texas real estate´s last [type] ..Holiday Tips for Burglary Prevention
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I am glad this post was well balanced in its view. The definition of success is as varied as the number of people you ask. True significance is found when you accomplish things that will help others and last.
Mark´s last [type] ..Knowing about Asbestos Symptoms, Risks, and Diagnosis
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Doesn’t significance come with success? I look at it as two steps. Success makes you significant in some way.
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Significance always lasts. Significance will always outlast you. Even when you are no longer present, your significance will still be yours. And nothing can ever take that away from you.
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Twitter: Akos_Fintor
06. Feb, 2012 at 5:15 am
Hey Beth,
I think it is human nature to strive for significance. Everybody wants to be noticed, “Please tell me I’m important, please tell me I DO matter” even if it is unconscious.
Success means different things to different people but to me it’s : A progressive realization of a worthy ideal.- E.N
great share!
Akos
Akos Fintor´s last [type] ..Empower Network | Wait, Is That the REAL David Wood???
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